Conventional diving boards used in diving competitions (e.g., collegiate diving, the Olympic Games) are generally aluminum alloy boards coated with a non-skid surface material. Diving boards that have long been in use in such competitions are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,238.
The greater lift a diver can obtain from a board set at any given height (usually one meter or three meters), the longer the time the diver has to perform the actual maneuvers of the dive and to achieve a proper entrance into the water. So that a diver can obtain the maximum lift from a diving board, the board should respond, to the greatest extent possible, to the motions of the diver during the diver's approach and take off from the board. The tip of the board should respond immediately and as fully as possible to the final downward loading of the board at its tip end by the diver prior to take off. Immediately prior to take off is the point at which the tip of the board flexes farthest down and then rebounds upwardly to propel the diver from the board, and it is at this time that the tip of the board moves fastest, both downward and upward.
Inasmuch as only extruded aluminum alloy boards have thus far provided the performance characteristics required for highly skilled and competitive diving, it is desirable to provide alternative board designs to provide options in terms of manufacturing methods and performance characteristics.